Revelation of John

Contents

PAGE

1. John and his vision of Jesus 5

2. Letters to the seven churches 9

CHAPTER I. 1 : 1-20. John and his vision of Jesus

1: 1. Revelation of Jesus Christ which the God gave him to show to his servants things shortly to come to pass, which he sent and signified by his angel, to his servant John,

2. Who testified the word of the God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ which he saw,

3. Blessed are he that .reads and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things written in it ; for the time is near.

4. John to the seven churches in Asia, Grace be to you, and peace from him that is, and that was, and that is to come, from the seven spirits which are before his throne,

5. And from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him that loves us and has washed us from our sins in his blood,

6. And made us a kingdom and priests to his God and Father ; to him be glory, and power for the aeons. Amen.

6 JOHN AND HIS VISION OF JESUS.

7. Behold he comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn because of him. Yes. Amen.

8. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says Master the God, who is, and was, and is to come, the Omnipotent.

9. I, John, your brother and companion in the affliction and kingdom, and patience, in Christ Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, for the word of the God, and the testimony of Jesus.

10. I was in [the] spirit on the Master's day, and heard a loud voice behind me, as of a trumpet,

11. Saying : What you see, write in a book, and send to the seven churches, to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

12. And I turned to see the voice that spoke to me, and having turned, I saw seven gold light-stands :

13. And in the midst of the light-stands, one like a son of man, clothed with a [robe] reaching to his feet> and girded about the loins with a golden girdle ;

14. His head and hairs were white, as white wool } as snow, and his eyes like a flame of fire ;

15. His feet were like fine brass, as if burned in a furnace ; and his voice was as a sound of many waters ;

16. He had in his right hand seven stars, out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and his appearance was as the sun shines in his strength.

17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead, and he put his right hand on me, saying : Fear not, I am the first and the last ;

LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES.

18. And he that lives; I was dead, and I live for

the aeons of the aeons, and have the keys of Death and of Hades.

19. Write, therefore, what you saw, the things that are, and those that shall be after these.

20. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden light-stands, The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the light-stands are the seven churches.

Letters to the seven churches.

2: 1. To the angel of the church in Ephesus write these things, says he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, that walks amid the seven golden light stands :

2. I know your works, your labor, and your patience, and that you cannot bear the evil, and have tried them that say they are apostles and are not, and found them false ;

3. And you have patience and have borne affliction for my name, and not fainted ;

4. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love ;

5. Remember, therefore, whence you have fallen, and repent and do the first works ; otherwise I will come to you and remove your light-stand out of its place unless you repent.

6. But you have this, that you hate the works of the Nicolaites which I also hate, [the Marcionites rejected marriage.]

LETTERS TO THE CRURCHES.

7. He that has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches; to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of my God.

8. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna, write these things, says the first and last, who was dead and is alive,

9. I know your affliction and poverty; but you are rich, and the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of the Satan.

10. Fear not those things which you are to suffer ; for behold the devil will cast some of you into prison to be tried, and you will have affliction ten days ; be faithful till death, and I will give you the crown of the life.

11. He that has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. He that overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death,

12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamus, write these things, says he that has the sharp two-edged sword :

13. I know where you dwell, where the Satan's seat is, and you hold fast my name, and denied not my faith in the days in which Antipas, my faithful witness, was killed among you, where the Satan dwells.

14. But I have a few things against you ; you have there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the sons of Isral, and to [cause them to] eat things offered to idols, and to commit fornication.

15. So you have them also that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaites ;

LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES.

16. Repent, therefore; otherwise I will come to you quickly, and fight with them with the sword of my mouth.

17* He that has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. To him that overcomes will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which none know r s except he that receives it.

18. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira, write these thing, says the son of the God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass:

19. I know your works, love, faith, service, and patience ; the last more than the first ;

20. But I have [this] against you, that you suffer your woman Jezebel, who says she is a prophetess. She teaches and misleads my servants to commit fornication, and eat things offered to idols ;

21. And I gave her time to repent, and she will not repent of her fornication.

22. Behold, I will cast her on a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of her works ;

23. And her children will I kill with death, and all the churches shall know r that I am he that searches reins and hearts ; and I will give to each of you according to your works.

24. But I say to the rest of you w 7 ho are in Thyatira, who have not this doctrine, and who know not the depths of the Satan as they say : I will put on you no other burden ;

25. But hold fast what you have, till I come,

LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES.

26. And he that overcomes and keeps my works to the end, I will give him power over the nations;

27. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron as a potter's vessels are broken, as I have received from my father ;

28 And I will give him the morning star.

29. He that has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.

3 : 1. And to the angel of the church in Sardis, write these things, says he that has the seven spirits of the God, and the seven stars : I know your works, that you have a name to live and are dead ;

2. Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before my God.

3. Remember, therefore, how you received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If, therefore, you will not watch, I will come as a thief, and you shall not know at what hour I will come on you ;

4. But you have a few names in Sardis [of them] that have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy,

5. He that overcomes, shall be clothed in white clothing, and I will on no account blot his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

6. He that has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches :

7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write these things, says the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and none can shut, and shuts and none can open :

LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES.

8. I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which none can shut ; for you have a little strength, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name.

9. Behold, [those] of the synagogue of the Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but lie ; behold, I will cause them to come and worship before your feet ; and they shall know that I loved you.

10. Because you kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you, from the hour of trial that is to come on the whole world to try them that dwell on the earth.

11. I come quickly, hold fast what you have, let none take your crown.

12. Him that overcomes, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out ho more, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jersalem that comes down out of heaven from my God, and my new name.

13. He that has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says of the churches :

14. And to the angel of the church in Laodicea^ write these things, says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of the God :

15. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot ;

16. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spue you out of my mouth ;

17. For you say : I am rich, and abound, and have need of nothing, and know not that you are miserable, and pitiable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

18. I advise you to buy from me gold tried by fire,

LETTEES TO THE CRUNCHES.

that you may be rich, and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not appear, and eye-salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.

19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten ; be zealous, therefore, and repent.

20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock ; if any one hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him ; and he [shall sup] with me.

21. He that overcomes, to him will I give to sit with me on my throne, as I overcame and sat with my Father on his throne.

22. He that has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.

124 YEAES.

THE TEN HORNS OF DANIEL 7: 7 KEIGN, BEGINNING WITH VESPA- SIAN IN 69 A. D.

CHAPTER I.

Heaven visited, its occupants and services, the book of the later Hebrew prophets opened by the Iamb.

4 : 1, After this I saw, and behold a door was opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was as of a trumpet speaking to me, saying : Come up hither and I will show you what must come to pass hereafter r

2. And immediately 1 was in the spirit ; and behold, a throne was set in the heaven, and one sat on the throne ;

3. And he that sat on the throne was in appearance like a jasper, and a sardian stone ; and a rainbow was

; round the throne, in appearance like an emerald,

4. And round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones twenty-four elders, sitting, clothed in white, [having] on their heads crowns of gold.

5. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, and voices and thunders. And seven lamps blazed before the throne, which are the seven spirits of the God ; [the seven archangels] ;

6. And before the throne was, as it were, a sea of glass, like a crystal, and in the midst ot the throne^

HEAVEN VISITED.

and around the throne were four animals, full of eyes before and behind ;

7. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second like a bullock, and the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle.

8. And as to the four, each of them had six wings ; and they had no rest, day nor night, saying : Holy, holy, holy is Master the God omnipotent, who was, and is, and is to come.

9. And when the animals gave glory and honor and thanks to him that sits on the throne, that lives for the aeons of the aeons,

10. The twenty-four elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that lives for the aeons of the aeons, and cast their crowns before his throne, saying:

11. Worthy are you, our Master and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were, and were created.

5: 1. And I saw on the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book, written within and on the back side, sealed with seven seals.

2. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice : Who is worthy to open the book, and loose its seals?

3. And none was able in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth, to open the book, nor to see it.

4. And I wept much, because none was found worthy to open the book, nor to see it.

5. And one of the elders said to me : Weep not ; behold the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of Da-

HEAVEN VISITED.

vid, has conquered; he opens the book and, its seven seals.

6. And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders, a lamb [the constellation Aries, the Ram], standing as he was killed, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are seven spirits of the God sent into all the earth ;

7. And he came and took the book from the right hand of him that sat on the throne;

8. And when he took the book the four animals and twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb, having each a cythara and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the holy [ones, the celestials.]

9. And they sung a new song, saying : You are worthy to take the book and open its seals ; for you were killed, and redeemed as to the God by your blood, from every tribe, tongue, people and nation ;

10. And you made us a kingdom and priests — and they reign on the earth.

11. And I saw, and heard a voice of many angels round the throne, and of the animals and elders ; and the number was ten thousands of ten thousands, and thousands of thousands ;

12. Saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the lamb that was killed to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing.

13. And every creature which is in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all the things in them, heard I saying : To him that sits on the throne and to the lamb, be blessing, honor, glory and power for the aeons of the aeons ;

14. And the the four animals said. Amen ; and the elders fell down and worshiped.

THE FIRST SIX SEALS.

The first six seals from Vespasian to Commodus, 111 years.

1. 6: 1. And I saw when the Iamb opened one of the seven seals ;

2. And I heard one of the four animals say, as a voice of thunder : Come.

3. And I saw and beheld a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer. [Vespasian and Titus, 69-81, twelve years.]

II. 3, And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second animal say : Come.

4. And another, a red horse came forth, and it was given to him that sat on him, to take peace from the earth, and that they should slaughter one another, and a great sword was given him. [Domitian 81-96, fifteen years.]

III. 5. And he opened the third seal, and I heard the third animal say : Come. And I saw, and behold a black horse, and he that sat on him had scales in his hand;

6. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four animals saying : A choenix [quart] of wheat for a denarius [15 cents], and three choenices of barley for a denarius ; and hurt not the oil and wine. [The demorr of famine under Ne^va and Trajan, 96-117, twenty-one years.

THE FIRST SIX SEALS.

IV. 7. And when he opened the fourth seal I heard the fourth animal say : Coine.

8. And I saw, and behold a pale horse, and one sat on him whose name was Death ; and Hades followed with him, and power was given him over a fourth part of the earth to kill with a sword and famine and pestilence, and by the beasts of the earth. [The Angel of Death under Hadrian, 117-138, twenty-one years.]

9. And when he opened the fifth seal I saw under the altar, the souls of them that were killed for the word of the God, and for the testimony which they had.

10. And they cried with a loud voice, saying : How long, Master, holy and true, will you not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ?

11. And a white robe was given them ; and it was told them that they should rest for a time till their fellow-servants and their brothers who were to be killed as they had been, should accomplish their sufferings. [A time of rest, under Antoninus Pius, 138-161, twenty-three years.]

12. And I saw when he opened the sixth seal [under Aurelius 161-180, twenty-nine years], and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became all like blood ;

13. And the stars fell from heaven as a fig tree casts off her untimely fruit when shaken by a mighty wind,

14. And heaven passed away like a book that is rolled up, and all the mountains and islands were removed from their places;

15. And the kings of the earth, the great ones, the commanders of thousands, the rich, the strong and

THE FIKST SIX SEALS.

every slave and freeman hid themselves in the caves, and in the mountains ;

16. And said to the mountains and rocks: Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the Orge [avenger] of the lamb ;

17. For the great day of his [avenger] has come, and who can stand? [Based on Isa. 13: 1-16, 24, 34: 1-17.]

7: 1. And after this, I saw four angels stand on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds, that they might not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

2. And I saw another angel ascend from the east, having a seal of the living God, and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea ;

3. Saying : Hurt not the earth nor the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of the God in their foreheads.

4. And I heard the number of those sealed ; 144,000 were sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.

5-8. From the tribe of Judah were sealed 12,000 I from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000; from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 ; from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 ; from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000; from the tribe of Manasse, 12,000; from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000; from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 ; from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 ; from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 ; from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000; from the tribe of Benjamin, 12,000.

9. After this I saw, and behold there was a great multitude, which none could number, of all nations,

THE FIRST SIX SEALS.

tribes, people and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the lamb, clothed with white robes, and palm branches were in their hands ;

10. And they cried with a loud voice, saying: Salvation for our God that sits on the throne, and to the lamb ;

11. And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders, and the four animals, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped the God,

12. Saying : Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power and might be to our God, for the aeons of the aeons.

13. And one of the elders answered me, saying ; Who are these that are clothed with white robes, and whence did they come ?

14. And I said to him : My master, you know. And he said to me : These are they who came out of great affliction and washed their robes, and whitened them with the blood of the lamb ;

15. Therefore are they before the throne of the God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and he that sits on the throne spreads his tent over them;

16. They shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more,* neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat ;

17. For the lamb who is in the midst of the throne will feed them, and lead them by fountains of the waters of life, and the God will wipe away all tears from: their eyes.

THE SEVENTH SEAL.

13 YEAKS.

The seventh seal; its first six trumpets, from Commodus to the Roman imperial demon.

8 : 1. And when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about half an hour ;

2. And I saw the seven angels who stood before the God, and seven trumpets were given them.

3. And another angel came, and was stationed on the altar having a golden censer; and much incense was given him to offer with the prayers of all the saints, [celestials] on the golden altar which was before the throne;

4. And the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints, from the hand of the angel before the God,

5. And the angel took the censer and filled it from the fire of the altar, and cast it on the earth, and there were thunders and lightnings, and voices, and an earthquake.

6. And the seven angels having the seven trumpets, prepared themselves to sound ;

7. And the first sounded ; and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was cast on the earth. And a third of the earth, and a third of the trees, and all the green grass were burned up.

8. And the second angel sounded; and a great mountain as it were, burning with fire, was cast into the sea ;

THE SEVENTH SEAL.

9. And a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures in the sea having life, died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10. And the third angel sounded; and there fell from the heaven a great star, burning like a lamp, and it fell on a third of the rivers, and on the fountains of the waters ;

11. And the name of the star was called wormwood ; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and manv men died from the waters, because they were bitter.

12. And the fourth angel sounded; and a third of the sun was smitten, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them was darkened, and the day shone not a third of it, and the night likewise.

13. And I saw, and heard an eagle flying in mid heaven, saying with a loud voice: Woe, woe, woe, to them that dwell on the earth ; from the rest of the voices of the trumpets of the three angels which are yet to sound.

9 : 1. And the fifth angel sounded ; and I saw a star which had fallen from heaven to the earth [a fallen angel] ; and there was given him the keys of the shaft of the abyss ;

2. And he opened the shaft of the abyss, and there ascended smoke from the shaft, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft.

3. And out ol the smoke came locusts on the earthy and power was given them as scorpions of the earth have power. Joel 1 : 1-12.

THE SEVENTH SEAL.

4. And it was told them not to injure the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, except the men who had not the seal of the God on their foreheads.

5. And it was given them not to kill them ; but [to cause] them to be tormented five months. And their torment was like the sting of a scorpion when he strikes a man.

6. And in those days men will seek death and not find it, and desire to die ; and death will flee from them.

7. And the form of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle, and on their heads were crowns like gold ; and their faces were like the faces of men ;

8. And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like those of lions.

9. And they had breastplates, like breastplates of iron ; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, with many horses, rushing to battle.

10. And they had tails like scorpions, and stings; and power was in their tails to injure men five months.

11. They had a king over them, an angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew was Abaddon; in Greek he has hfe name Apollyon [destroyer].

12. The first woe is past ; behold there come yet two woes after this.

13. And the sixth angel sounded ; and I heard the first voice from the four horns of the golden altar, that was before the god,

14. Say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet : Loose the four angels bound on the great river

THE SEVENTH SEAL.

Euphrates. [The angel princes of Media, Persia, Assyria, and Babylon].

15. And the four angels were loosed, prepared for the hour, and day, and month, and year, to kill a third of the men.

16. And the number of the armies of horses was twice ten thousands of ten thousands ; I heard their number.

17. And so I saw the horses in the vision, and those that sat on them, [infernals] having breastplates of fire and hyacinth and brimstone. [Isa, 13: 2-16. Joel 2; 1-11.] And the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and there proceeded from their mouth fire, and smoke, and brimstone.

18. By these three plagues were a third of men killed, by the fire, and the smoke, and the brimstone, that proceeded from their mouths ;

19. For the power of the horses was in their mouths, and in their tails; for their tails were like serpents } having heads, and with them they did injury.

20. And the rest of men who were not killed by these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, not to worship demons and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see, hear, nor walk ;

21. And they repented not of their murders, sorceries, fornications, nor thefts.